Discussion – APNs as Healthcare Policy Leaders

Discussion – APNs as Healthcare Policy Leaders

Policies concerning the health care system determine the role and efficiency of advanced practice nurses (APNs). Also, it is imperative to mention that with the changes in healthcare systems, the responsibility of APNs as policymakers emerges more and more significantly. In addition, this article also discusses transformational leadership and its role in providing a framework that APNs can use to make policy changes that will further the delivery of patient-centered care and the progress of nursing.

Impact of Healthcare Policy on the Advanced Practice Nurse Profession

At the state and national level, healthcare policies present a significant influence on the APN profession. For example, rules governing the autonomy of APNs versus practicing under a physician’s supervision vary depending on the state. In states with full practice authority, like Oregon, APNs can practice independently and thus handle the full care of their patients, which enhances access to healthcare services, especially in rural areas (Wheeler et al., 2022). On the other hand, restrictive regulations in practice in states like Florida ensure that the APNs’ scope of practice is restricted, thereby hampering patients’ access to care and the overall development of the profession.

At the national level, policies, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have enhanced the power of caring by recognizing APNs as primary caregivers, thereby increasing the ability of APNs to care in sundry settings (Schwingrouber et al., 2023). Nevertheless, controversies regarding the coverage of reimbursement policies for healthcare maintenance continue to exert constant pressure on the financial viability of APN practices, requiring more advocacy and policy adjustments.

Advocacy as an Essential Component of the APN Role

Healthcare advocacy involves promoting a specific idea, concept, or program that improves patients’ and communities’ health (Nsiah et al., 2019). To APNs, advocacy is a capacity central to their practice as it influences patient care outcomes and the growth of the profession. APNs protect patients by providing them with all the resources, assistance, and data they need so that they can make the right decisions concerning their health (O’Grady, 2020). Also, APNs work to change legislation or laws to enhance healthcare delivery, including fighting for full practice authority and reasonable reimbursement rates.

Advocacy remains crucial to provide patients power and promote recognition of APNs as important agents of change in the system. Through advocacy, APNs can advocate for policies that will enhance patient-centered care and work to eradicate obstacles within clinical practice. For instance, APNs have used their influence to ensure that policies that enable access to vulnerable groups and enhance health equity and the community’s overall health are developed (Chiu et al., 2021).

Transformational Leadership and Its Influence on Policy Change

According to Khan et al. (2020), transformational leadership is a leadership style that brings about change in persons and organizational systems with the vision of positively transforming them. Four pillars characterize this leadership style: carriage of resources, inspirational encouragement, stimulating the thinking process, and attentiveness by the manager to each subordinate.

Idealized Influence

The patients that APNs with idealized influence interact with depend on the healthcare facilities and policies in their jurisdiction. However, when they interact with them, they are respected as authority figures. This pillar is important in policy advocacy since synergy is made in order to support the issues that need to be changed to benefit the nursing profession and patients.

Inspirational Motivation

Inspirational motivation means that APNs state a clear and appealing vision for the advancement of healthcare, inducing others to implement changes in policies to benefit the patients. Therefore, by sharing the outcomes of the proposed policies, APNs will be able to involve both healthcare providers and policymakers.

Intellectual Stimulation

APNs who display the intellectual stimulation dimension support creativity and question the current processes or ideas. The pillar is crucial in this aspect because it enables APNs to offer innovative approaches, ideas, or recommendations on healthcare problems and their policy implications to enhance policy-making that caters to contemporary healthcare.

Individualized Consideration

When engaging in individualized consideration, APNs appreciate the individualism of all the participants who take part in policy-making processes. Such a strategy promotes teamwork and guarantees that changes in policies are made, taking several opinions into consideration. (Asif et al., 2019).

In conclusion, transformational leadership may, therefore, be defined as a process of change at the people and organizational systems level aimed at achieving positive change, that is sustainable (Khan et al., 2020). This leadership style is characterized by four pillars. When referring to developmental prescriptions, it is important to mention that the state of California defines four kinds of leadership behaviors: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration.

References

Asif, M., Jameel, A., Hussain, A., Hwang, J., & Sahito, N. (2019). Linking transformational leadership with nurse-assessed adverse patient outcomes and the quality of care: Assessing the role of job satisfaction and structural empowerment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132381

Chiu, P., Cummings, G. G., Thorne, S., & Makaroff, K. S. (2021). Policy advocacy and nursing organizations: A scoping review. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 22(4), 276–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/15271544211050611

Khan, H., Rehmat, M., Butt, T. H., Farooqi, S., & Asim, J. (2020). Impact of transformational leadership on work performance, burnout and social loafing: A mediation model. Future Business Journal, 6(1), 1–13. https://fbj.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43093-020-00043-8

Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. (2019). Registered nurses’ description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. Nursing Open, 6(3), 1124–1132. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.307

Schwingrouber, J., Bryant‐Lukosius, D., Kilpatrick, K., Mayen, S., & Colson, S. (2023). Evaluation of the implementation of advanced practice nursing roles in France: A multiple case study. Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15840

Wheeler, K. J., Miller, M., Pulcini, J., Gray, D., Ladd, E., & Rayens, M. K. (2022). Advanced practice nursing roles, regulation, education, and practice: A global study. Annals of Global Health, 88(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3698

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Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to discuss the healthcare policy of the APN profession and how Transformational Leadership can help to influence policy changes. This week’s assignment focuses on the APN as a Health Policy Leader, one of the nine NONPF NP competencies. Students will analyze how health policy may affect NP practice and how Transformational Leadership can help to influence policy changes.

APNs as Healthcare Policy Leaders

Activity Learning Outcomes
Through this discussion, the student will demonstrate the ability to:

Critically analyze how healthcare systems and APRN practice are organized and influenced by ethical, legal, economic, and political factors (CO2)
Demonstrate professional and personal growth concerning the advocacy role of advanced practice nursing in fostering policy within diverse healthcare settings (CO3)
Advocate for institutional, local, national, and international policies that foster person-centered healthcare and nursing practice (CO4)
Due Date: Wednesday of week 7 by 11:59 PM MST
Initial responses to the discussion topic must be posted by Wednesday 11:59 pm MT. Two additional posts to peers and/or faculty are due by Sunday at 11:59 pm MT. Students are expected to submit assignments by the time they are due.

A 10% late penalty will be imposed for discussions posted after the deadline on Wednesday of week 7, regardless of the number of days late. NOTHING will be accepted after 11:59 pm MT on Sunday (i.e. student will receive an automatic 0).

Total Points Possible: 100
Preparing the Discussion
Criteria for Content

Explanation of how healthcare policy can impact the advanced practice nurse profession
Explanation of why advocacy is considered an essential component of the advanced practice nurse’s role
Discuss the four pillars of Transformational leadership and the effect they may have on influencing policy change
A scholarly resource must be used for EACH discussion question each week.
Category Points % Description
DISCUSSION CONTENT
Explanation of how healthcare policy can impact the advanced practice nurse profession